The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-07
A NARROW ESCAPE.
A Wild, Weird Tale About a Man, a
Snake, and a Fireproof Safe.
From. the Ne,o YORK. Sun.

Snake, and Fireproof Safe.
From the Ne'c York Sun.
Twenty years ago | was the managing
clerk in an English merchants office. Ny
work was heavy. Many nights l sat at my
books until into the small hours of the morn
ing Once or twice actually dozed off into
a sleep, to be awakened by the woman who
cleaned the various rooms coming to her
work
The house / was connected with had a
branch establishment in India doing a large
business. and many curious consignmentS of
goods. quite outside of our usual articles of
commerce, passed through our hands.
Priceless cloths and native fabrics, brass
and gold ornaments set with precious stones,
collections of stones, botanical specimens,
birds. animals-everything in fact, until at
times the contents of the cases, if opened
and spread out, would have made a very
average museum.
One afternoon large box was delivered
from one of the ships labeled, ITO be kept
in moderately warm place" l was away
from the warehouse at the time of its
arrival, and the men placed it in the outer
office. On my return l casually noticed
the case in passing, and saw that one end
was slightly crushed, as if by some heavier
case falling on it. This was a mere acct
dental observance.
Ny private office was just four walls,
hung with maps and charts. A writing b.
reau in the centre of the floor behind the
door: behind the bureau a large iron fire
proof safe some feet high and feet
square, standing ~ or IA inches from the
wall, and case of books and three or four
chairs completed the inventory. l was
going to work late, and in a short time
was alone in the large building.
/ worked steadily until midnight
arose and paced about the room for few
minutes.
A sound, as of chair being moved in the
adjoining room, startled me.
| stepped to the door, and opened it,
The light from street lamp lit the room
fairly well, and after a glance l concluded
it must, have been fancy, and returned to
my desk, leaving the door open.
A few minutes afterward a faint harsh
sound came from the same direction, Curl
Gus. rubbing sound, undeniably within the
next room, and quite as undeniably NOV
ing toward the door leading to where | was
sitting.
rose to my feet, and as did so the head
and neck of a huge snake protruded through
the doorway into the well-lit ROOM
| stood transfixed with horror.
When the reptile saw me it stopped for a
second, its eyes grew more and more aflame
until they reSembled two lurid balls of fire,
its tongue darted i'll and out of its mouth,
and the head raised higher and higher until
nearly level with my own. | could hear its
body coiling and recoiling in fury in the
darkness beyond, and there l stood power
less, unarmed, and apparently unable even
to move.
] looked once around in a despairing
search for some outlet of escape, and, as
took my eyes from those of the horrible
reptile it lowered its head and darted
,,,I IL IL
have caught me, when, seeing the open safe.
/ rushed in and shut the door. A small
petty cash book fell to the floor, half in, half
out of the safe, holding the door open about
half an inch
But for that book l would have speedily
been suffocated. Not thinking of that /
stopped and tried to draw the book inside,
but the snake, moving simultaneously with
myself, had dashed itself against the safe,
and in its brute fury, thinking the safe
part and parcel of myself, had thrown its
coils around it, COMPRISING the door so
tightly that ! fortunately could not remove
the book, which was my sole means of
ventilation. Half crazed with fright l
pulled and lugged at il without avail The
perspiration rolled down nv face. my heart
beat almost to bursting and ever with the
book holding the door ajar / seemed to be
at the point Ct suffocation. Gasping for
breath and utterly nerveless, fell against
the door and slid to the floor in a dead faint
How long remained so | cannot tell
perhaps Few minutes. perhaps an hour
At last my senses returned. and although
dreadfully cramped by the position into
which had subsidized in the narrow space,
| felt had not the power to rise. and lay
there gazing through the narrow opening
at the two folds which encircled my refuge,
feeling a horrible fascination that | shall
never forget. l even passed my finger out
and touched one, feeling quivering move
ment that told the the reptile had drawn its
coils to their utmost tension. in the hope of
crushing the shell that held the precious
kernel of myself
By an effort collected my IDEAS and, re-
Numbering the box and the crushed end
could readily account for the presence of
the intruder. | knew that il was customary
to feed them to safety before shipping
send them Off and as a rule they arrived
here still in the state of stupor This one
might have had long passage and coming
out of the sleep wanted water, grew furi-
Gus, burst the weak end of the case, and
finding me attacked me by instinct
grew calmer and investigated my posi-
ton thoroughly. ! rose to my feet, and as
] did so my foot e;ted on something UNI
even. picked il up and found it to be one
OF those long ink erasers, having a blade
about four inches long, sharp as a razor,
tempered like a Damascus blade the handle
being about five inches long and fat III
shape. 1t must have fallen out of the cash
book, these knives frequently being shut in
the books by the careless clerks. TAX
ing the knife in my right hand | thrust it
into the thinnest fold with all my strength.
There was a horrible, sckening tearing
sound, and quickly withdrawing the blade.
/ thrust it again and again into the folds,
until at the third or fourth stab | saw the
folds relax and so sliding down the sides of
the safe tn the floor, lying there squirlning
and writhing in commissions
dared not move for nearly an hour. until